It is well known in motor vehicles to provide an inflatable restraint system for restraining a front right-side passenger seated in an outboard front right-side passenger seating position. Typically, the inflatable restraint module is mounted to the vehicle body beneath an opening in the instrument panel substantially in front of the right-side passenger. The inflatable restraint module houses an inflator and an inflatable occupant restraint cushion which is normally stored in a folded condition. The module includes a module opening which is aligned subjacent the panel opening. Upon the vehicle experiencing a predetermined rate of deceleration, the inflator is actuated for generating gas out through the module opening to inflate the cushion for deployment through the module opening in front of the passenger.
It is also well known to provide tethers secured inside the cushion which are straight or have widened ends adjacent a rearward wall of the cushion. These tethers are designed to provide a forward force which pulls the rearward wall of the cushion forwardly to shape the cushion for passenger loading.
The prior art also discloses inflatable restraint systems which provide restraint for both a right-side passenger seated behind a module and a center passenger seated inboard of the module. In these cases, initial cushion inflation occurs in front of the right-side passenger. Additionally, the prior art teaches the use of baffles and diffusers to direct inflating gas in the inboard direction for inflating the cushion towards the center passenger. The prior art also reveals a laterally widened cushion which initially inflates in front of the right-side passenger and has a side portion that is eventually inflated in front of the center passenger.
In some vehicles, it may be desirable to mount the module beneath an opening in the instrument panel which is not substantially in front of the right-side passenger to permit flexibility in packaging of the module within the instrument panel, while still providing restraint for the right-side passenger. It would also be desirable to accomplish this without the use of baffles and diffusers to redirect inflator gas towards the right-side passenger.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a new and improved inflatable restraint system which allows a conventional module and inflator to be mounted laterally offset from the centerline of the right-side passenger seating position so that initial cushion inflation occurs laterally offset of the right-side passenger seating position, yet which provides restraint for the right-side passenger.